The American Journal of Pharmacy Benefits

While often overlooked, employee engagement is a key element in determining whether a hospital, health system, or pharmacy service can effectively meet its patient access, patient quality, and organizational financial demands.

During the session “Health Services Research and Quality of Care” at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, oncologists discussed factors that influence clinical trial participation and the cost of cancer care.

Telemedicine could increase access to best-practice care for older adults with major depression who are facing barriers of mobility, stigma, and geographical isolation, and a study published in The Lancet Psychiatry compared treatment response delivered via telemedicine with same-room care.

In 2017, the review of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund will determine the adequacy and the use of funding and there are 3 ways to measure performance in patient-centered outcomes research.

The announced price for alirocumab, the first PCSK9 inhibitor approved for use in the US, was the top story in managed care this week. Also, HHS announced $100 million available to combat substance abuse, and Medicare and Medicaid turn 50 years old.

The study found that the geriatric population in the United States receives prescriptions for mental health drugs at more than twice the rate that younger adults do, but they present a lower rate of seeking psychiatric care.